Lubricator.



No. 787,915. PATENTED APR, 25, 1905. J. E. GILL.

LUBRIGATOR.

APPLIOATIOH FILED APR. 24, 1903.

2 SHEETS-$111131 1.

.N0.787,915. PATENTED APR.25, 1905.

J. B. GILL.

LUBRIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Winessesn W de Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. GILL, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 787,915, dated April 25, 1905.

Application filed April 24, 1903- Serial No. 154,162.

To 111/ whom. it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, JOHN E. GILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide the combined advantages of a hard lubricant and oil as a lubricating means for journal-bearings, especially for the bearings of railway cars and locomotives.

The advantages accruing from the use of a solid lubricantarc well understood in this art, especially as applied in railway service. In addition to the economy of a solid lubricant as compared with the cost of a suitable oil the use of a solid lubricant does away with the use of aste which is necessarily used in packing the journal-boxes with oil, and so not only saves the cost of the waste, but does away with a frequent cause of hot boxes. In the use of a solid lubricant, however, the aggregate friction on the journal-bearings due to the contact therewith of the solid lubricant throughout the train at the time of starting is very considerable, and the frictional resistance thus offered occurs at a time when it is most ol')jectionablethat is, before the train has acquired any headway. Gonsequentl y the use of a solid lubricant adds very considerably to the dead-weight which must be pulled by the engine in starting the train. By my invention I seek to largely, if not wholly, eliminate the friction or dead-weight due to this cause at the starting of the train and to attain the freedom from friction which comes from the use of oil, while at the same time dispensing with the use of packing and utilizing a solid lubricant, as by main lubricating means. This and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in which .liigure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a journal-box fitted with my improved lubricating device. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on Fig. 2% is a detail of Fig. 3 is a plan view of my Fig.

the line 2 2 of I. a modification. uuproved device in its preferred form.

I shows a modification thereof. Fig. 5 is a broken plan view of another modification thereof, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates the journal-box; B, the journal.

U is a plate mounted upon the spring I), which is interposed between the plate and the bottom of the journal-box.

E is a cake of a solid lubricant of any suitable kind.

F is a box surrounding the cake of lubricant and serving to hold it in shape. The box F is preferably supported in place by means of a sheet of gauze or thin perforated metal (i, which is secured to the box F and rests upon and conforms to the upper surface of the cake of lubricant. In the simplest form of my device the gauze G may be dispensed with and the box F supported in any suitable manner, while, as shown in Figs. at and 5, frictional contact with the part inclosed by the box F may be suflieient to hold the box in position.

In the preferred form of my improvement the cake of lubricant E is provided with numerous oil-receptacles I, formed therein and having their open .ends at the upper face of the lubricating-cake E. This is the simplest form of my device. As so constructed the oil-receptacles I may be of limited capacity, but should extend well into the cake E. As the train starts the journal, rotating slowly, will draw oil from the oil-receptacles l and will smear it over the upper face of the solid cake of lubricant E. It will thus be seen that the receptacles I and the rotating journal, especially when under the influence of the jolting movement of the train, provide means for supplying a fluid to the face of the solid lubricant I while the cake E, containing the receptacles I, in conjunction with the parts which hold the cake E in contact with the journal, provides a simple means for feeding the contents of said receptacles to the journal, especially when under the influence of the jolting action of the train while in movement, although other feeding means may be used, as is hereinafter more fully shown and explained. As the speed of the train increases the increasingly rapid rotation of the journal will serve to soften or melt the lubricant, so that the solid lubricant will become liquid or semiliquid and mixing with the oil will freely lubricate the journal B without undue friction; but even if the lubricant be of such a nature as not to melt under the influence of friction therewith with the journal B such fact will be of minor importance after the train has acquired headway, as the friction between the solid lubricant and the journal is most objectionable when the train is first starting and when all such friction adds to the dead-weight which the engine is required to pull.

If desired, thin tubes of soft lead or similar soft metal may be fitted in the oil-holes I, and, if desired, these tubes J may be closed at the bottom, so as to constitute complete oil-receptacles in themselves, and thus prevent any possible absorption of the oil by the body of the solid lubricant E. The oil in the oil-receptacles can of course be renewed at convenienlt intervals while the train is at a standsti While I have mentioned lead or similar soft metal, it will be understood that paraflin or other wax or paper or like material may be used for these tubes.

It may be found desirable under some conditions to fill the receptacles with water or with a mixture of oil and water-as, for instance, if the solid lubricant is made of soap or of a soapy compound. So, also, if desired, some or all of the receptacles may be provided with suitable wicks t' to insure the feed of their contents to the journal, such Wicks being secured in place in any suitable manner-- as, for instance, by embedding them in the solid lubricant. (See Fig. 4.) It will be seen that these wicks provide additional means for supplying fluid to the face of the cake of lubricant and for feedingthe contents of the receptacles I to the journal.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification of my improvement, in which I have mounted upon the plate C a lubricant-container H, having walls made of thin soft lead, graphite, or similar material, which will be readily worn away by the rotation of the journal and yet will not cause undue friction. In the form of this modification shown in the drawings I have provided the lubricant-container with a central reservoir for oil, water, or the like, said central reservoir being surrounded with one or more compartments containing pads L, of either felt, soap, or the like, and communicating, by means of perforations O, with the central oil or water reservoir.

If desired, the pads L may be provided with grooves M, by means of which the liquid in the reservoir N may after passing through the perforations 0 be conducted to the pads L or to the journals B.

It will be seen from the foregoing explanation that, especially when uponatrain in motion, the rotating journal will receive fluid from the receptacle N and that, as the case may be, such fluid will be fed to thelubricating-face of the pads L by the rotation of the journal and also by capillary action through the holes 0 and grooves M.

Obviously if the pads are of lubricating material it is not essential that there shall be any partition between such pads and the oil or water reservoir or that, in case there is such a partition, there should be any perforations therethrough, because the journal may be utilized to carry the lubricant out of the central oil-reservoir and to spread it over the surface of the pads.

From the foregoing it is evident that there are various modifications, more or less obvious, which may be readily made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim-- 1. In a lubricator, the combination with the journal-box, of a cake of solid lubricant, said lubricant being provided with means opening upon its lubricating-face for containing a liquid said lubricating means being closed at its bottom.

2. A lubricating device, comprising a solid lubricant, there being fluid-containing means, closed at its bottom, opening upon the lubricating-face of said solid lubricant, and means for holdingsaid solid lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated.

3. A lubricating device, comprisinga cake of solid lubricant, there being fluid-containing means contained therein, closed at one end and opening upon the lubricating-face of said solid lubricant, and means for feeding said solid lubricant to the journal to be lubricated.

4. A lubricating device comprising a journal-box, a supporting-plate, a spring mounted between said supporting-plate and the journal-box, and a lubricating means mounted upon said plate and held by said spring in contact with the journal, said lubricating means comprising a solid lubricant and means for supplying a fluid to the lubricating-surface thereof.

5. In a lubricator, the combination with a supporting-plate, of a pad carried thereby, and a fluid-receptacle arranged adjoining said pad in such a manner that the fluid therein will be fed to the lubricating-face of said pad by the rotating action of the journal to be lubricated, and means for holding said lubricating device in operative contact with the journal to be lubricated.

6. A lubricating device comprising a cake of solid lubricant containing a receptacle for a fluid, said receptacle being closed at one end and so arranged that said fluid may be fed to the lubricating-face of said solid lubricant during the rotation of the journal, and means for holding said cake of lubricant adjacent to the journal to be lubricated.

T. A lubricating device comprising a cake of solid lubricant, a plurality of soft-metal receptacles embedded therein and opening upon the lubricating-face thereof and means for holding said solid lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated.

8. A lubricating device comprising a cake of solid lubricant, a plurality of fluid-receptacles closed at one end and opening upon the luln-icating-face of said cake, and means for feeding the contents of said receptacles to the journal to be lubricated.

9. In a lubricating device, the combination with a cake of solid lubricant, of means for holding said czlce of lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated, and means for supplying a fluid upwardly to the lubricatingf'aee of said lubricant.

10. In a lubricating-device, the combination with a cake of solid lubricant, of \vicking mounted in said lubricant and conununicating with a source of supply so as to feed a fluid to the lubricating-face of said cake of lubricant, and means for holding said cake of lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated.

11. In a lubricating device, the combination with a cake of solid lubricant, of a fluid-receptacle arranged below the journal, means for feeding said fluid from said receptacle to the lubricating-face of said cake of solid lubricant, and means for holding said solid lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated.

12. In a lubricatingdevice, the combination with a cake of solid lubricant having a fluidreceptaclearranged below the journal to be lubricated, of means for feeding said lluid from the receptacle to the Face of said cake of solid lubricant, and means for holding said solid lubricant in contact with the journal to be lubricated.

JOHN E. GILL.

itnesses:

'lumms l\'lC( iOUG1I, Tnonas Marrumvs. 

